Impact panels

ABSTRACT

A technique enables improved performance of oilfield service operations. A protective shield is formed with a portable stand and at least one lightweight impact panel. The one or more lightweight impact panels enable easy movement of the safety shield from one location to another at a given well site or between different well sites, thus affording protection with a minimum of labor and set up time. The safety shield can be used to provide protection during individual operations and/or to segregate and protect independent operations from each other during multiple, simultaneous operations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present document is based on and claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/889,072, filed Feb. 9, 2007.

BACKGROUND

In many well related operations, a variety of devices and systems areused in performing oilfield services. Some applications utilize thedevices and systems in simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) at a given wellsite. The well site may have multiple wellheads with various operationsbeing performed simultaneously. For example, well stimulation operationscan be performed concurrently with perforation operations and drillingoperations.

The multiple wellheads at which simultaneous operations are performedoften are in close proximity to each other. Additionally, thesimultaneous operations can be performed by several different servicecompanies. Because of the concurrent service operations and the closeproximity of wellheads, the simultaneous operations potentially cancreate hazards. For example, breakages, ruptures, or other failures atone wellhead can create detrimental effects at adjacent wellheads.Attempts have been made to create a barrier between operations byerecting panels of steel. However, such panels are heavy, difficult tomove from one position or location to another, and the installation ofsuch panels proves labor and time intensive.

SUMMARY

In general, the present invention provides a system and method for usein performing oilfield service operations. A safety shield is formedwith a portable stand and at least one lightweight impact panel. Thestand and the at least one lightweight impact panel enable easy movementof the safety shield from one well site location to another as neededduring well service operations, e.g. during multiple simultaneousoperations. The safety shield can be used to provide protection duringindividual operations and/or to segregate and protect independentoperations from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numeralsdenote like elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of one example of a safety shieldhaving a plurality of lightweight impact panels, according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the safety shield, according to an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an overhead schematic view of a well site undergoingsimultaneous operations with a safety shield deployed in one exampleconfiguration, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an overhead schematic view of a well site undergoingsimultaneous operations with a safety shield deployed in another exampleconfiguration, according to another embodiment of the present invention;and

FIG. 5 is an overhead schematic view of a well site undergoingsimultaneous operations with a safety shield deployed in another exampleconfiguration, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to providean understanding of the present invention. However, it will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without these details and that numerousvariations or modifications from the described embodiments may bepossible.

The present invention generally relates to a lightweight portable safetyshield useful in oilfield service operations and very well suited forsimultaneous operations. The safety shield comprises a portable stand,such as a fabricated stand, fitted with one or more impact panels. Theimpact panels are made of a lightweight material that is easy to move.In one embodiment, the lightweight impact panels can be hand carried tofacilitate quick and easy movement of the safety shield from one wellsite location to another. Depending on the size of the safety shield,the impact panels can be moved while joined with the portable stand orseparated from the portable stand.

The lightweight nature of the portable safety shield enables rapid andinexpensive set up and tear down to facilitate deployment and movementof the portable shield from one location to another. By way of example,the lightweight panels can be constructed from a non-metallic materialthat is substantially lighter than steel. In one embodiment, thelightweight panels are constructed from a Kevlar material, such as asheeted Kevlar material.

The lightweight portable safety shield provides short-term impactprotection at the well site to provide well site workers with enoughtime to get out of harms way in the event of a problem at one of thewells. The safety shield can be used for an individual operation, e.g. amaintenance operation, or it can be used in a simultaneous operationsfield to segregate and protect the independent operations from eachother.

Referring generally to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a lightweight, portablesafety shield 20 is illustrated. In this embodiment, shield 20 comprisesa stand or framework 22, such as a fabricated stand. One or morelightweight impact panels 24 are mounted to the stand 22. The impactpanels 24 can be mounted to stand 22 via a plurality of fasteners 26which may take a variety of forms depending on the construction of stand22 and impact panels 24. For example, fasteners 26 may comprise hooks,pins and corresponding recesses, bolts, and other suitable fasteners.The fasteners 26 can be selected to enable quick connection anddisconnection of the impact panels 24 and stand 22 to further facilitatemovement, transport, and/or storage.

Additionally, stand 22 can be constructed in sections 28 to enableselective changing or adjustment of the stand configuration and therelative orientation of the lightweight impact panels 24 to accommodatea variety of wellhead and space constraints. The individual sections 28can be connected together by appropriate connectors 30. By way ofexample, connectors 30 may comprise hinges that enable the sections 28of stand 22 to be pivoted relative to one another. A variety of securingdevices 32, such as bolts, pins, or other fasteners, also can be used tosecure stand 22 to a desired surface 34, such as a surface of the earthor a platform.

The stand 22 can be fabricated in a variety of sizes and configurationsdepending on the environment and applications in which it is used toprovide protection. As illustrated in FIG. 2, for example, the stand 22can be fabricated with a variety of vertical elements or legs 36 thatare connected by transverse structural members 38. The transversestructural members 38 may be arranged horizontally or at other anglesselected to achieve a desired structural strength.

In FIG. 3, one embodiment of a well site at which safety shield 20 canbe implemented is illustrated. In this embodiment, the safety shield 20is deployed at a simultaneous operations field 40. By way of example,field 40 has multiple wellheads 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 at which various wellrelated operations are being performed concurrently. For example, a wellstimulation operation, e.g. a fracturing operation, can be conducted atwellhead 42 while wellhead 44 is in production. Additionally, aperforating operation can be performed at wellhead 46, and a drillingoperation can be conducted from a drilling platform 52 at wellhead 50.

In this particular example, one embodiment of safety shield 20 isdeployed in proximity to wellhead 42 where well stimulation operationsare being performed. Safety shield 20 is deployed in a configurationthat segregates wellhead 42 from the adjacent wellheads 44, 46, 48, 50and provides protection for any workers/personnel that are active bythese other wellheads. In the event of a problem, such as a failure intreating lines at wellhead 42, safety shield 20 protects the surroundingarea from potentially impacting materials.

It should be noted that the simultaneous operations field 40 is providedas one example. The number of wellheads, placement of the wellheads,type of operations, actual services being conducted simultaneously, andother well related factors can vary from one application to another.Additionally, the configuration and the size of safety shield 20 canvary according to environment, topography, wellhead and operations beingconducted. Additional safety shields 20 also can be deployed aroundother wellheads, or the sequence of service operations can be selectedto accommodate movement of one or more safety shields 20.

Also, the geometry, orientation and number of safety shield sections 28can be changed according to the environment, operations being performed,and orientation of the wellheads at a particular well site. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, for example, safety shield 20 can be installedaround an entire wellhead, such as wellhead 42. In the illustratedembodiment, safety shield 20 establishes a circumference around thewellhead undergoing fracturing operations. The safety shield also can beused to create a circumference around wellhead 46 undergoing perforationoperations or around other wellheads as suited for a given application.In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, safety shield 20 comprises foursections 28, however other numbers of sections can be utilized to createthe circumference or other shield configuration.

The use of safety shield 20 is not limited to simultaneous operations.As illustrated in FIG. 5, for example, an embodiment of safety shield 20is deployed in an individual oilfield service operation. In the exampleillustrated, safety shield 20 is used in a well stimulation operation ata well stimulation site 54. The equipment used at site 54 can vary fromone service application to another. In this example, however, the wellstimulation site may utilize frac tanks 56, a PCM (precision continuousmixer) 58, a blender 60, a chemical tank or hopper 62, a sand tank orhopper 64, and multiple frac pumps 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76. The fracpumps are connected with high-pressure treating iron 78.

The safety shield 20 can be set up and/or moved quickly and easily toprovide desired protection at a variety of locations throughout wellstimulation site 54. If, for example, one of the frac pumps requiresmaintenance during the well stimulation operation, personnel generallyservice the subject frac pump, e.g. frac pump 70, while well stimulationoperations continue. The safety shield 20 provides impact protection forthe personnel working on frac pump 70 by segregating them from theneighboring treating iron 78 and the surrounding frac pumps. The safetyshield 20 provides protection that gives workers time to move away frompotential harm. Additionally, the safety shield 20 is easy to move fromone location to another to accommodate, for example, maintenance ofother frac pumps. In many applications, the lightweight impact panels 24and stand 22 enable the safety shield 20 or safety shield components tobe hand carried from one location to another. This portability and easeof setup/tear down greatly reduces the cost and improves the efficiencyof providing a safety shield at desired locations throughout a givenwell site.

One or more safety shields 20 can be deployed in a variety ofconfigurations for use at many types of well sites. The actual size andconfiguration of each safety shield can be selected according to theparameters of a given well site environment or well site application.The one or more safety shields also can be integrated with individual orsimultaneous operations and can be used in cooperation with many typesof well equipment.

Accordingly, although only a few embodiments of the present inventionhave been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the artwill readily appreciate that many modifications are possible withoutmaterially departing from the teachings of this invention. Suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thisinvention as defined in the claims.

1. An apparatus for use in performing oilfield service operations,comprising: a safety shield comprising: a fabricated stand; and at leastone lightweight impact panel to enable movement of the safety shieldfrom one well site location to another as needed during well serviceoperations.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at leastone lightweight impact panel comprises a plurality of lightweight impactpanels.
 3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least onelightweight impact panel is formed from a Kevlar material.
 4. Theapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one lightweightimpact panel is formed from a sheeted Kevlar material.
 5. The apparatusas recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one lightweight impact panelis formed from a non-metallic material.
 6. A method for use whileperforming oilfield service operations, comprising: constructing aportable fabricated stand supporting at least one impact panel formed ofa lightweight material; and positioning the fabricated stand at a wellsite in a location segregating service operations.
 7. The method asrecited in claim 6, further comprising hand carrying the portablefabricated stand and the at least one impact panel from the location toanother well site location.
 8. The method as recited in claim 6, whereinconstructing comprises constructing the portable fabricated stand with aplurality of impact panels formed of the lightweight material.
 9. Themethod as recited in claim 8, further comprising changing the relativeorientation of the portable fabricated stand and the plurality of impactpanels.
 10. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein positioningcomprises positioning the portable fabricated stand around at least aportion of a wellhead where a well stimulation operation is beingperformed.
 11. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein positioningcomprises positioning the portable fabricated stand around at least aportion of a wellhead where a well drilling operation is beingperformed.
 12. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein positioningcomprises positioning the portable fabricated stand around at least aportion of a wellhead where a well perforation operation is beingperformed.
 13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein positioningcomprises positioning the portable fabricated stand and the plurality ofimpact panels around the entire circumference of a wellhead where a welloperation is being performed.
 14. The method as recited in claim 8,wherein constructing comprises constructing the plurality of impactpanels from a Kevlar material.
 15. A method, comprising: forming aplurality of lightweight impact panels that can be hand carried;mounting the plurality of lightweight impact panels to a portable stand;positioning the portable stand and the lightweight impact panels at awell site adjacent a well undergoing an operation; and orienting thelightweight impact panels to protect well site workers operating in thearea.
 16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein forming comprisesforming the plurality of lightweight impact panels from a Kevlarmaterial.
 17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein mountingcomprises mounting the lightweight impact panels to an adjustableportable stand that can be positioned in a plurality of configurations.18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein positioning comprisespositioning the portable stand and the plurality of lightweight impactpanels to provide protection at an individual well operation.
 19. Themethod as recited in claim 15, wherein positioning comprises positioningthe portable stand and the plurality of lightweight impact panels tosegregate independent well operations from each other.
 20. A system toprotect well site workers, comprising: a portable stand having at leastone lightweight panel formed of a non- metallic material to enablemovement of the portable stand between locations at a well site, theportable stand and the at least one lightweight panel being sized toprotect well site workers during a well operation.
 21. The system asrecited in claim 20, wherein the at least one lightweight panelcomprises a plurality of lightweight panels.
 22. The system as recitedin claim 21, wherein the plurality of lightweight panels are formed froma Kevlar material.